


Soul Marked

by deadlikemoi



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, First Order are mercenaries, Organa-Solo Family Reunion, Poe and Ben hate each other, Puppy dog Ben Solo, Soulmate Sex, The Resistance is the Army, Touch Starved Non-Virgins, smut will come
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-09-29 12:32:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17203484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deadlikemoi/pseuds/deadlikemoi
Summary: By the age of twenty, most people find their soulmates or recognize that they never had one. Rey has lived her life with this understanding for the past five years and she thinks she'd moved on until she came across the man the sensors matched her with.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is my secret santa gift for Cody aka [BB-8](https://bb-8.tumblr.com) on tumblr. She gave me many ideas and I went down one rabbit hole before deciding to scrap it for a soulmate AU. I hope you enjoy this, Cody!

The thing about having reached a certain age without finding a soulmate meant that it was likely your spirit was too damaged to have another half or your other half had already passed on. 

Either way, Rey stopped checking the face of every man, woman, and computer screen by the time she found a family in the Resistance Army. 

If being stuck in such close quarters with dozens of other people didn't make the censors go off then... to hell with soulmates and destiny, to hell with all of it!

The girls who slept in the far corner of the barracks, behind the blanket hung on a clothesline that acted as an enclosure for the small amount of privacy they could get, shared stories of their friends stumbling across their soulmates when they least expected it. 

"But they were all young, right?" At twenty-five, Rey was one of the oldest women still in the Army. Most of the young women were discharged when they matched with their mate.

Or the rough years of her childhood could be to blame. 

Many people found their mates at school, but Rey had never been, instead teaching herself through books borrowed from the local library. Somehow she'd managed to pull together enough money to pay for her GED. Without that, she wouldn't even have this small part of her life. 

One day she'd go to college, fully paid for by the Army and all the years of service she gave them, and maybe marry her boyfriend...

As if he was drawn in by her thoughts, Poe waltzed into the barracks freshly shaven and ready for the day. They were both off duty and headed past the wilderness and swamps to the city beyond. 

"Darling," he smiled as he took in her civvies, dark leggings and a white tunic that hung down around her thighs, before wrapping her up in his arms. Though they were both a part of the same unit, Poe was an officer whereas Rey was only an enlisted solider. 

Protocol dictated that their relationship was disclosed as soon as it developed to avoid any issues of impropriety, but she still dealt with the jealousy of the other women. Poe Dameron was a dream, muscular and olive skinned, enough charisma to knock your clothes off before he said hello. 

Her best friend raced after their vehicle and yelled when she rolled down the window to hear him, "remember to bring me back a present!" 

"He doesn't like to share your attention, does he?" 

"I think he shares pretty easily with you," there was a slight sarcastic edge to her tone and the twinkle in his eye told how much he agreed. 

Things with Poe had been unexpected and easy. She didn't want to have _that_ conversation yet again, but he beat her to the punch by announcing that he did have a soulmate, but she'd died years ago. 

Honesty being what it was forced Rey to share her own truth, but it didn't bother him, "I can be Mr. Right Now if that's what you need." 

It should've been simple and easy and effortless to fall in love with him, but part of her wasn't ready to give up on that unknown element. 

They both immediately recognized the First Order insignia on the black Suburban parked along the side entrance of the shopping center. 

Many groups inhabited the areas around the city, but few were identifiable with certainty aside from the Resistance Army and the First Order mercenaries. Government forces against privately purchased soldiers. It wasn't hard to guess that there was no love lost between the two groups. 

"Best behavior," he breathed as a warning, the commanding officer training reared its head as she avoided rolling her eyes in response. 

Was it her fault her temper flared almost instantly at some points? Perhaps she'd missed an important lesson or two while growing up. There was always time for that at some point in the far away future. Present Rey was too busy to worry about it. 

"I know how to keep it together, Captain." If she expressed her annoyance anymore she might have changed the laws of thermodynamics and erupted in thick, flowing lava that destroyed everything around them. But she kept it together with lips slightly parted and on this occasion, her silence was stronger than her rage for a split second. 

With a salute, she walked through the door he held open and evaded his attempts to bring her back under his arms. If he wanted the possibility of being with her in the long run, he should recognize that she'd never back down just to do it. 

More often than not, leisure trips also served the purpose of refilling supplies, fixing unit vehicles, or requisitioning new uniforms instead of just spending money unnecessarily or having fun. 

Rey needed a few personal items, but it made sense to finish errands for the unit first. 

Her breath filled her lungs, short and staccato, as the dry air of the city stung her through and through. It didn't take long for them to roll up on the first of the First Order guard, a tall woman known to them as Mile High, but her name badge read Phasma instead. Most of them went by nicknames instead of their given birth names; you didn't choose your birth name, but your nickname was a piece of you that connected the whole puzzle. 

Every component to her uniform was brand new and the shiny parts sparkled like they were unwrapped minutes before. Their organization could afford to outfit their soldiers with the latest and the greatest. They were paid more, but they always appeared less prepared for the fire fights they sometimes had to handle together. 

Strength in numbers and all that. 

"Hey there, Mile High," Poe barely raised his hand in greeting as Rey ignored them and kept moving. 

"Dameron." Phasma's head nodded, but her fingers stayed trained on the handle of the AK strapped around her broad frame. Seeing one of them meant there were surely more around the corner. 

Rey decided this was the perfect time to work on her internal fairytale. Many of her compatriots had found her daydreaming on shift when silence stretched on for hours. 

She wasn't here for unit supplies, but her royal entourage was here to find fabric, shoes, and jewelry for the ball her family was throwing in two week's time for her engagement to the prince of Hanna City, who would one day rule all of Chandrila. Being the sole princess of Jakku and heir to the throne didn't make her a great match, most people didn't covet that particular piece of desert, but royal marriage laws restricted the number of people eligible to enter into a union with her. 

The blaring of a store security system instantly dropped her back into reality where a few other FO troops, one or two that she recognized, collapsed on the shop front with a lack of stealth or finesse. 

"False alarm, cashier bumped the alarm button," The young, blond man, looking barely twenty years old, spoke into a communication unit attached to his shoulder. 

"Are you sure?" The com crackled with static, a deep and low signature that sent a chill through her from even this distance, and the man in front of her verified with his superior. 

Though she couldn't see who this voice belonged to, the area was crawling with soldiers and civilians alike, somehow it was possible that she could almost sense him. 

His annoyance was dark in the atmosphere and it mystified her that no one else took notice, but there was a chance it could be nothing more than her imagination. She found the more fantastical things in her life came about that way. 

"...Those Knights of Ren shouldn't be here when it's this busy." She caught the tail end of Poe's statement and had trouble finding the plot. 

Her feet came to a stop, only some of his words reaching her through the busy layers of her mind, "Knights of Ren? What?"

It was Poe's turn to stop and fully face her, surprise written on his face for only an instant, but she still caught it. "You don't know about them? I would've thought, based on the length of your tenure here, that you'd already had a few run ins with them... They really like pretty young girls, especially Kylo." 

But she wouldn't call herself young, not anymore, and her skin looked years older after so long spent in the sun. 

Poe regaled her with the tale of Kylo Ren and his personal group of highly skilled men and women thusly named the Knights of Ren. 

"That's not his real name, right? Who named their child _Kylo_?"

"No, but- let me finish, please?"

She indicated he should continue with a wave of her hand. This was the most agitated and animated she'd ever seen him and some of her womanly pride bruised in response, "you've met him?"

He was just about to respond, his mouth open with the words on the tip of his tongue, when a man that surely must have been this Kylo Ren character walked closer and closer through a long series of movements that matched the length of his legs.

"Is that-" The entire sentence wasn't even formed in her mind when the alarm went off, but it wasn't the same as before. She was only able to recognize it because of the large amount of soulmate connection videos she'd watched. 

Watched while drunk or depressed or frustrated with where life had taken her. So she was not surprised by that, per se, but what did shock her was the tingling sensation that started in her fingers and toes and ended with the extreme blush on her face when she noticed that she was the one stopped under the sensor. 

All this commotion was for her and... Kylo Ren?!

_________

She hadn't been aware of the mechanics of soulmate matching before that moment, but as she stood there, dumbfounded and struck silent for once, every piece clicked into place. 

Legend and myth told that soulmates had the same markers in certain chromosomes that identified them as being meant for that one other individual. 

Scent sensors or any number of other machines could identify the chemistry in that chromosome and recognize if its matching pair was also in the area. Lights flashed, sirens screamed, and people generally lost their shit when given the chance to witness a match before their very eyes. 

Rey would've liked seeing one if it was happening to someone else. 

The man in black seemed just as unsure by the sudden uproar and she couldn't take her eyes off him, a long distance separated them and neither made an attempt to move. She took in his long, sable hair and pale complexion while he simply stared at the man next to her. 

Her mind was everywhere except for Poe at that moment, but when she finally turned to take him in, her mind was overtaxed by trying to figure out what that expression meant. 

"Poe?"

"You... and Kylo Ren are soulmates."  
________

Normal days weren't so common for him anymore. 

Once he rose high enough to direct and lead whole groups of First Order forces, his life was little more than stress and sweat. Sleep was basically non-existent and the flares of his temper knew no bounds. 

He only took orders from First Order CEO Snoke, but the man seemed unhappy with their results as of late. 

"We don't want our clients to be unhappy," Snoke stated while he sat behind what amounted to a mahogany and marble throne. 

"I can't create disorder, sir. We've patrolled the area and cut off many of the entry points for the guerrillas, but we can't force an attack."

The man was never happy; the rare times Ben found him to be happy, it appeared to be at his expense or from his failings. 

"I'd hate to see one of your underlings provide better results than you have and suddenly usurp the position of master of the Knights of Ren."

The threat was the same one he'd been targeted with before and the little solitary part of him that still held to the good instantly rebelled. "I will do what is necessary, sir," and with a flourished bow, he backed out of the room. 

The small number of citizens of this territory relied on the purchased forces provided by the First Order. 

Desolate and spartan, the area was constantly raided by bands of guerrilla fighters who robbed the area of goods and young, able bodied people for their ranks. 

What they were able to pay went to the First Order coffers and the mercenaries patrolled highly inhabited areas day in and day out. 

It wasn't often that they ran across soldiers from the Resistance Army, but Ben made sure to keep his distance if he ever did. 

Somehow he imagined his mother, the General of the Army, would be able to sniff him out on a wisp of air still embedded in one of their shirts or in their hair. 

A family reunion was not in the cards. 

Phasma alerted him to the two Resistance soldiers when they stepped foot in the shopping center, but he'd have no reason to cross paths with them. 

From his perch up above, it was easy to watch the two meander around the area though he knew instantly who the man was. 

Poe Dameron, his mother's almost adopted son, the man she wished he was, shone like a beacon in the night that started the pulsating rhythm of his rage. He saw the distance between his mother and himself expand as he spent more time watching them. 

"Are you seeing this?" The voice of Armitage Hux crackled over the com system, a goading spirit if there ever was one. 

Try as he might to ignore those two beings, Ben found himself stuck in their orbit, circling closer and closer to get a good look at the female who pushed away each one of Dameron's advances. 

She was beautiful, there could be no doubt about that, but she appeared strong. The fact that she was a part of the Resistance Army meant she was determined, resourceful, and intelligent as well. 

Without thought or care, his steps drew him nearer and nearer until he could just spot the freckles across her nose, but the SoulMarked(TM) alarm interrupted his half-hearted attempt at reconnaissance. 

"Fuck," he breathed out, his towering figure stuck on top of the other sensor. 

Did the big, bad Kylo Ren think he'd ever have a soulmate, let alone find her? No, his soul was too torched and blackened to match anyone else's.

And yet, there she was, a shining light through the darkness of his life. 

___________

Two things happened immediately: everyone took a step away from the two figures as if being in proximity to either of them would scald their skin and a door tucked inside a short corridor, invisible from where they stood, opened and out walked a slight woman.

"My name is Larma D'Acy and if you'll follow me, please, we can do the final checks." Her voice boomed loudly enough to carry down the stretch of hallway that separated Rey and Ben. 

Rey stepped forward first, not allowing a look back as she followed this woman's directive, and the sound of his footsteps were the only clue she had that he was walking behind her. 

The dark cloud of Kylo Ren filled the narrow corridor when she turned to get her first true glimpse of him. The color of his clothing and hair clashed with the pale tones of his skin, but she expected a man with such a reputation to be ugly or horribly disfigured in some way. The last thing she anticipated was a man so oddly beautiful that it took her breath away in an instant. 

He stopped in front of her, the customary drag of his eyes over her body only fueled the growing turbulence in her gut, but her mouth formed no words while he stood before her expectantly. 

"Uh..." 

Rey's eyes connected with his, realizing that she blocked the only entrance to the room beyond, "oh, sorry." Never before was she this meek little girl, and some small part of her screamed to resist the urge to act that way, but she came up short. 

"First things first," Larma said once the door was closed behind them all, "introductions." 

"Right, yes, I'm Ben Solo." 

"But I thought- Poe said your name is Kylo Ren?" Looking back, she should've known it wasn't a good idea to mention the other man, but nothing remained of her mind-mouth filter. 

"Poe Dameron is sorely mistaken." The words were spit out of his mouth as if even thinking of him disgusted Ben. 

Wringing her hands, she waited through a few breaths for the tension to calm, "my name is Rey, Rey Jaks."

"Ben, Rey, Let's all have a seat." Three chairs sat in front of a long slab of wood, creating a built-in desk that held monitors for the video cameras hung around the area. From here, they could see each of the sensors that ran the initial connection tests. "I'm a representative for the SoulMarked(TM) company and I'll be guiding you through the first steps of the process. On rare occasions," she said as she handed over two elongated q-tips, "the test can be just slightly wrong, so we're going to do an in-depth DNA test for verification. Please swab the inside of your mouth with these." 

In a rush of hurried movements, Larma inserted the swabs into a large machine that began whirling immediately. Rey's eyes traveled across the room, taking in everything until they landed on him, and she wasn't surprised to see him watching her. It was clear that he was supposed to be imposing and downright scary, but even this quickly, she could see beyond the hard exterior. The scar that cut across his face added a roguish element that she quite liked. Bad boys and all that, she had yet to try one.

"You and Dameron?" He spoke first, and she watched his adam's apple bob long after he stopped talking. 

"We were... something, but I guess that changes now."

"It doesn't have to. You don't even know me yet." 

The mechanical beep was followed by a strip of paper pushed out and immediately grabbed by the other woman. "It's official," her singsong voice bounced around the small room, "soulmates with an extremely high compatibility ratio."

Test done and forms completed, they were released back out into the world and neither of them knew what came next. 

"So," Rey started, finding herself the more socially assured one, "Could we go back to your place? All I have is a cot in an open room with all the other women in the unit." 

Ben looked shocked, but schooled his expression in a heartbeat, "yeah, just let me... I need to check in with my men." With a hand pressed to the small of her back, Ben escorted her to a small sitting area next to the grand staircase and left her with his intention to return quickly. 

A buzz in her pocket brought reality back as she fished out her cellphone and flipped through the notifications.

> **Poe**  
>  Call when you're done, I can come and get you
> 
> **Finn**  
>  REY!!! 
> 
> **Finn**  
>  Poe just told us all the news
> 
> **Finn**  
>  Soulmate?? What?!?!
> 
> **Finn**  
>  He makes Kylo Ren sound like the devil incarnate so I need details
> 
> **Finn**  
>  IMMEDIATELY
> 
> **Rose**  
>  OMG GIRL 😧 Plz call me ASAP

"Rey." He said her name so softly, likely to avoid frightening her as all her attention was focused solely on her cellphone, but when she looked up to meet his eyes her gaze shifted to the man behind him.

"Armitage Hux," and she found a hand shoved in front of her face, barely missed making a scratch to her tanned skin. Before she could shake his hand, he was pushed aside and Ben pulled her closer by a hand on her elbow. 

"Ignore him. Curiosity is making us a bit of a spectacle."

She waved goodbye to the ginger haired man, the one whose grin grew as she stared back at him, and her body buzzed with his touch. "We're going?"

"We are. Do you need to say goodbye to anyone, Dameron perhaps?" 

Temper touched off at the word go, her temperature rose and she stood stock still, pulling him to a stop as she refused to budge. 

"Look. I don't know what the issue between the two of you is or was and I don't really care either, but I'm not going to be stuck in the middle of your pissing match." Her breath came out fast even as she tried to keep her voice down, knowing there were people around who would enjoy just a little bit their drama. "I'm not with him right now, I'm with you. Isn't that good enough?"

Soon he would come to know this obstinate, animated woman very closely, but for now he'd have to take her word for it. And she wasn't going anywhere until he did. 

"It's enough. Let's go."

They shared small facts about themselves as he drove through the forest into the next town miles away. It was clear they had many things in common. While Rey was given up as a child and raised by foster parents, Ben's childhood lacked affection and attention from parents who could barely tolerate hours spent in the same house. 

While belted into the passenger seat, Rey stumbled onto a website for soulmates new to the bond and each other. "This is interesting," she said, her eyes following her fingers as she scrolled through lists and lists of questions to discuss together. I'll send you this, but uh- I need your phone number." 

"Here," his hand was held out to take her phone and quickly enter in his contact information. Seconds later, the text was sent off, and his phone buzzed against his thigh, down deep in his pocket. 

Rey looked around as he put the car in park and shut off the engine. 

"This is me," he pointed to the townhouse, but made no move to get out. "I want you to know that I don't expect anything. I'll understand if you want to walk away once you get to know me." 

"Hey," she whispered as her hand grasped his, "let's give this a chance, yeah?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to [ohwise1ne](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohwise1ne/pseuds/ohwise1ne) for the beta read and talking me down. 
> 
> This is the conclusion of my gift for Cody aka [bb-8](https://bb-8.tumblr.com).

______________

"Kaydel? Yeah, it's Rey. Listen, you can put the General on?" Rey spun a strand of hair, one that escaped her three bun personal style, as she waited to speak with her boss. The hours spent with Ben had flown by, but her day off was coming to an end and the last thing she wanted was to be considered AWOL. 

"Hello, Rey. I hear congratulations are in order," the dulcet tones of Leia Organa greeted her. 

"Thank you, yes. I was hoping it's not too much to ask for a bit of extra personal leave. As I'm sure you're aware—" she tried to plow right through while Ben watched on, but the voice on the other end of the line cut her off early. 

"I'm aware that you always pick up extra shifts and come in whenever someone's ill. Take your time, that's an order, and when you're done I expect you to bring the lucky guy by."

She nodded and gave him a smile, "Of course, I will. We will be there." 

The line clicked off without a goodbye, and while most people might find that rather rude, she was used to the behavior by now. 

"All good?" he asked as he picked up her empty beer bottle and returned with a fresh, cold one. 

In the few hours since bringing her here, she eagerly shared so many things about herself, willingly and without prompting, but nothing shone as bright as her smile and it was easily his favorite thing about her. 

"You look miles away," she wondered aloud as his eyes snapped back to her. Sitting this close, she loved watching how expressive his face was and especially so when he spoke about any of his favorite topics. Books about airplanes and small models littered the tabletops and bookshelves in his living room, though the entire apartment lacked much decoration. It was clearly used only as a place to lay his head; she wouldn't be surprised to find out she was the first person he'd invited in. 

Ben's life had more substance than Rey's, but he argued every time she tried to turn the conversation back around. They finally agreed to a simple one-for-one exchange of details, information, and secrets.

That night they fell asleep nestled side by side on his oversized couch. Though neither was one to initiate a touch previously, in sleep their bodies automatically crept toward the other and he woke to her head resting on his chest with his arms wrapped tightly around her smaller frame. 

Soft light poured through the blinds he hadn't fully closed last night, and he marveled at her as she continued to sleep. 

Ben wasn't new to relationships with women, but they were perfunctory at best, a means to relieve stress when he could. But he'd never dated before. 

Rumors made it difficult; whether known by real name or nickname, few women were interested in a man married to his job whose moods and outbursts were legend. 

He could change, though, or at least he'd try. 

Rey was roused when his fingers started to comb through the hair she'd unraveled before passing out, still slightly wavy, and she steadied her breathing to enjoy the moment. 

Whatever was on his mind tuned him out from the rest of the world, the line of his eyes zeroed in to a photograph framed on the console around his television, and she hated that the urgency of her bladder would disturb him. 

"Ben," her lips ghosted along his cloth covered chest as her voice tumbled out and she stretched as much as their currently tangled position allowed. 

"Hey, morning." The new day found him affectionate, maybe overly so, though she didn't complain about that. 

"Bathroom?" She dropped a kiss to his cheek, skimming the corner of his lips when he turned to look at her fully, and she disappeared down the hallway he pointed her to. 

Each room she passed held more mystery, but she walked directly to the bathroom, avoiding the ticking time bombs as she gingerly plowed through the minefield. She was curious, there could be no doubt about that, but a part of her didn't want to take what wasn't freely given. 

After running her fingers through her ragged hair and brushing her teeth with a bit of toothpaste on the end of her finger, Rey opened the door to see his large silhouette obscuring the sunlight at the other end of the hallway. 

"Let's lie down," he suggested, his long strides and easy gait had him meeting her in three steps, taking her hand to escort her to the master bedroom. 

What she expected, she couldn't say. The bedrooms she'd become acquainted with in the past usually only contained a bed and some other ramshackle items that barely constituted furniture. This room, much more than any other, seemed to be truly him. 

Dark gray walls and blackout curtains prevented too much light taking over the space. The bed frame matched a desk tucked into a far corner and two large bookshelves that ran from floor to ceiling. There was enough space for a weight bench too and she marveled at the fact that the room didn't feel cramped at all. 

"This is lovely," she enthused, sitting on the edge of the bed and running her hands over the silky top of the dark blue duvet. "Why am I not surprised that everything in this place is so dark?"

Ben shrugged and laughed easily, climbing on behind her and pulling his shirt off—that technique where the hem was grabbed from behind his neck—baring most of his upper body except that which was covered by his sleeveless undershirt. 

"Dear lord."

There came that laugh again, accompanied by a smile that shifted his entire face and it was difficult to stop herself from smiling in return. "What?" he asked as he laced his hands behind his head, showing off his biceps rather nicely. The smile persisted and with that, she fell into the pit of love for this man who rarely opened his mouth in a smile. 

"Come on, Ben. Seriously? You have no idea how amazing your body is? Pair that up with your face and I'm shocked that I'm not beating people away from you with large sticks wrapped in wire and set aflame." She wanted to make a joke about a certain large stick, but that would make him think she wasn't being honest. 

"What about my face?" 

She pinned him with a look and rolled onto her side, facing him and letting her eyes freely roam over his large body. "You know you're ridiculously attractive, right?" 

"Normally I'm told that I'm huge and they hope something else is too." She had that thought too, but this wasn't a quick hookup and so she wasn't trying to just chat him up. 

"I agree with that, too," and she couldn't keep herself together at the awestruck look that came over his face. 

It all devolved from there, each one upping the other _well you're fucking beautiful_ to _i bet you fuck beautifully_ until Rey had to call a truce upon the terms that they're a pair of extremely good looking soulmates. 

"Didn't you say something about sleeping?"

"Actually," Ben retorted, his hand yanking on the bottom hem of her shirt to bring her closer, "I said lie down which we are doing." 

Could he read her mind? Was he able to tell how hot her skin was running and that all she wanted was his hands on her bare skin? 

It didn't matter because she was convinced that the part that made them soulmates, and most likely a large part at that, wasn't going to allow them to just dance around each other for long. 

"I don't know how this is supposed to go," she admitted just quietly enough that he could hear, "so can I kiss you or do you want to kiss me?" He swallowed audibly, his eyes searching hers for a long minute. "You're making this more than tense than it should be," she said after the clock ticked away seconds without a response.

Mentally, she gave him to the count of five before she took the reins of this act, but he only allowed her to get to three before his arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her on top of them, lips connecting as his legs splayed open to give her room to rest.

"Comfortable?" Ben asked before he laid open-mouthed kisses along her jaw. 

"Mmmhmm." She was utterly dissolved in his arms, no longer a woman, but a pile of goo that was getting wetter every second. "But I'm going to combust if you don't take this off me right now." 

"Say please." His tongue traced her jugular, nipping at her skin whenever a shiver wracked her body. 

"What? How—" She moaned long and low when his lips discovered a particularly weak point, "how are you suddenly so in control?" 

And as if he really wanted to demonstrate that point, he forced the both of them up and removed first her shirt and then his own and Rey was certain she'd blacked out at the sight of his upper body. 

"One of us has to be," were the words she finally heard. "This relationship is a give and a take, right?"

"It is, but—" her hips ground down on his until she could position her thighs and straddle him and applied pressure to his glorious chest, "you'll find out soon enough that I like the power from up here. Can you handle that?" 

If he wasn't already hard as concrete, all the blood was directed immediately south at the turn of phrase. Her nearly nude upper body was lithe and muscular but still feminine enough to catch his breath. 

"You're so beautiful," he measured as his hands skirted up her waist to cup her cloth-covered breasts. 

Her nipples, visible through the sheer nude color of her bra, tightened in response to his eager touch. Clearly her body was aware that she wanted everything this man had to give. "Hey," she spoke with a boom to bring his attention back to her face which was blushed from the heat shared between them, "answer the question." 

Another pause and her fingers latched on to his nipple and twisted. "Yes, fuck! I can take whatever you can give, but we need some safe words so I don't lose a nipple." 

"I'd miss them too much to let one go for good." She grinned, the devastating one that brought out her dimples, and leaned down to suck at the tortured bud.

"I should lose this, huh?" The straps of her bra fell down her arms with each undulation of her hips, creating delicious friction against the hard ridge of Ben's swollen member that laid pressed to his stomach. With the blind ease of a motion she did every single day, Rey popped the clasp and let gravity drag it down until she tossed it away. 

The lightest touch of his fingertips danced up her spine, through her hair, down her neck, brushed down the side of her breasts, and ended over the smooth plane around her belly button. 

"Should either of us pretend this is our first time?" 

She laughed, head thrown back, and it struck him in the gut how much he liked that sight. Seeing her half-naked form was amazing, but it made him lightheaded and dizzy to create such a response in her, it made him want more, everything with her. 

"I can feel," she spoke softly, in almost a hum of satisfaction as his skin met hers, "I swear I can feel how much you want this, want me." 

He nodded eagerly, happiness mixed with desire struck him too, but separate from his own and he surged up to hold her tight, catching her lips in kiss that started soft and slow and grew as the minutes passed. 

Whatever this feeling was, this connection, it amplified every touch and every sensation so they were experiencing everything two-fold. 

"Fuck," he growled, tense and rough as his lips brushed down her throat. "How is this possible?"

Though she didn't know how this worked or understand why, her body yearned for more of him. "I need you, baby." 

"Call me that again." 

"Ben, baby, _please_."

As he sucked bruises into the skin of her neck and shoulder, moaning when she felt something strong enough that it hit him too, he rearranged her on her back and started a slow trek down her body. Each spot that he touched ignited fire beneath her skin. 

Her hands moved to the band of her leggings, clutching that and the string of her thong to push both down, but Ben's position over her breasts, where he kissed around until he came to her nipple and traced the peak with the tip of his tongue, only allowed her to move mere inches. 

"Hold on, sweetheart. I know you're drenched for me, but let me take my time." 

That evil smirk, surely one that petrified any who met Kylo Ren, ghosted over the skin between her breasts until he found her right nipple and gave it the same treatment. 

"This is my favorite present ever," his mouth sucked her nipple in and earned a high groan from her, "I want to enjoy my first glimpse of it." 

"Oh, you smug bastard." 

"Yeah, but I'll make it so good for you. I can give you exactly what you need." 

Teasing ended with kisses along the line of her hips, first one then the other, and his fingers caught the waistband of her leggings and yanked them down to her ankles, restricting movement in her legs. 

It came out as a whistle, the air that left him, as he took in the sight of her black thong, the fabric sopping wet over her entrance until it disappeared between her cheeks. "Look at you," he remarked with wonder as his fingers traced her opening, "and this is all for me." 

"If you don't hurry up," she huffed in annoyance, "you won't get to keep it." 

Without another word, no matter how tempted he was to meet snark with snark, he slid the garment to the side and sucked in his breath, "thank you for this beautiful pussy," and he kissed the top of her mound. 

"Ben," she was beyond caring about how whiny she sounded and how needy she felt. 

"I've got you," and then his tongue was inside her, tasting her, loving the feel of her on his tastebuds, and his fingers held her open so he could get as deep as possible to let her fuck his face. 

Rey thanked the Maker above that she was given this strong, beautiful man with a tongue made for sin and a body she was already addicted to.

Just as she was opening her mouth to tell him what she needed, she felt his tongue move up to run over her clit, first long swipes and then random patterns that were indecipherable, but gave her what she needed in ample supply. 

"Make me come and I'll write you a million love letters, get them tattooed all over my body." 

His mouth detached from her body immediately, but his thumb took up the same action on her clit. "That would mean someone else seeing you naked and you're all mine."

She moaned in response, the possessive streak sending her up an octave higher, and she had no idea how he inflamed her so easily, but when she looked down at him she was surprised to see he was just as strung out as she was. 

Their eyes connected, a surge shifted him down to lay flat on the bed, his hips rutting against the mattress with a few thrusts and she grasped large tufts of his hair when he attacked her sex again. 

"Oh fuck, Ben, yes, please baby, please!" 

She was so close, the edge in sight, just beyond the horizon, and her hand found her naked breast, rolling her erect nipple between her fingers until he inserted two of his large fingers inside her, moaning himself at how tight he found her. 

Finally he sucked her clit fully into his mouth, pushing her to the crescendo faster than she'd anticipated and his fingers massaged and prodded at an area that had her gushing into his face and chest with her orgasm. 

"Holy. _Shit_." She looked down her flushed body and found him still lodged between her thighs, her wet still dripping from his chin. 

He moved to sit up and she followed, latching to his neck and kissing up to his ear as her hand went to the button on his trousers, slipping inside as the zipper moved down with her actions. 

"You... ?" She pulled back to look in his eyes, not mocking but questioning what she found. 

"Whatever this is between us," he started as he helped her pull his own pants and boxer briefs down, "it's so strong that your orgasm set off my own." 

There was no shame in that moment and none was warranted. "That's unbelievably sexy, you know," and she kissed him once, long and thorough, before crawling off the bed with a small stumble, kicking the leggings off for good. 

She returned minutes later with wet washcloth in hand and carefully cleaned him off after climbing back in bed beside him. "This will be a lovely story someday. Our first day together and you come in your pants like a teenager." 

They both laughed at that, true, deep, raucous laughter that floated to the heavens. 

"Give me twenty more minutes and we can see if it will happen again."

After a game of twenty questions that lasted less than five minutes, Ben's cell phone rang from the other room and he brought both of theirs back. Yet again, she was inundated with text messages.

> **Finn**  
>  Rey, where are you?
> 
> **Finn**  
>  Were you kidnapped?
> 
> **Finn**  
>  Poe is ready to hunt after you jsyk
> 
> **Poe**  
>  Rey.
> 
> **Poe**  
>  If I don't hear from you in the next hour i'm coming to find you 
> 
> **Poe**  
>  One way or another
> 
> **Rose**  
>  I really hope you're not at Ben's place because Poe is on his way RN!!!  
> 

"Shit."

"What is it?"

"Who knows where you live?" 

His eyes slid over to her over the top of his phone, "Why exactly?"

Instead of giving a response, she illuminated her lock screen and let him read through the texts. 

"God damnit, Dameron. Does he not understand what this means, this connection? He is not coming here."

But she knew how likely it was that he'd break down the door if neither of them answered and as much as it pained her, she stepped into his closet and pulled on the cliche oversized button down. "Do you think seeing me in this will do enough damage?"

Where he was frustrated and annoyed seconds ago, Rey could see the arousal start to take hold of him again. "Down, boy. Put on some pants. I don't want anyone damaging that beautiful cock before I get my hands on it." 

The couple minutes of warning was just what she needed when she heard rapt knocks on the door echoing through the townhouse. "Be right back," she pressed a kiss to the corner of his plush lips and winked before rushing out. 

What Poe was thinking, she couldn't know, but she was worried about what she'd find beyond that door. Was he here to fight for her or to ruin this good thing any way he could? 

It all amounted to the same thing in her mind and she prayed that Ben remained behind and hidden, that no macho show of strength would pull them all into something dangerous. 

"Hello." The swing of the door caught him off guard, either that or her choice of apparel, and it took him the seconds between a few blinks of the eye to respond. 

"Rey, I— You didn't answer your phone." 

"No, I've been busy." The sweep of her arm wasn't necessary, but he understood without it. 

"I thought you'd come back to base and we'd talk about this." 

A gust of wind poured through the doorway and fluttered the shirt tails at her thighs. "Poe. Do you remember the conversation we had not so long ago? When you told me about your departed soulmate?" 

His nod was perfunctory, but the slight tremor in his hand was noticeable. "I got used to you, maybe a little attached." 

She could hear noises behind her, small ones, but still strong enough to drift out. Poe was either too absorbed in their conversation or he didn't care to know what was beyond the threshold. 

"I'm sorry, Poe. Really. It was never my intention to hurt you."

"What we intend isn't always what comes to pass." That speared through her, sharp and venomous. 

Looking back, she shouldn't have been surprised that he heard or that he shuffled out past her so quickly. It was Ben's equal state of undress that unlocked that look of defeat on Poe's face. 

"Leave, Dameron. Rey may be too nice to say it directly, but she's made her choice. Now get off my property." His fists were balled up at his side, white skin stretched over each knuckle, but they loosened when she wrapped her hand around one just enough to interlock their fingers when his grip slackened. 

"Rey... I hope you understand what you're doing. I hope he treats you better than he treated his own family." The sadness and pain was clearly written across his face, but she had her hands full keeping Ben from launching himself at the other man. 

Once inside, with the door closed and dead bolted, Rey turned her attention back to her soulmate. 

"Before you say anything— I know. I should've let you deal with it but that man..."

"That man what? He's broken from what I can tell." 

Ben had the grace to look ashamed, scratching at the back of his neck with his eyes on the floor. "Yeah, well, he's already got my mother. He can't have you too."

"Your mother? What?" Confusion germinated and bloomed inside her. "I have no idea what you mean, Ben. You need to fill me in." 

"Just... can it wait? Give me an hour, maybe two, and then I'll tell you everything you want to know, I swear."

The beat of her heart told her to trust in him, to listen to this gorgeous man standing in front of her, nearly naked save for the unzipped trousers that hung tight to his hips and thighs. With her nod she watched all the tension release from his shoulders, the effort no longer compacting his broad frame. 

His hand was outstretched to her, "come back to bed with me, please." 

Even after the short amount of time she knew him, every fiber of her being demanded, screamed, that she go and so she did. 

_________

Rey sat across his thighs, his shirt back on her body to keep away the slight chill, and her fingers brushed through his hair as she listened to him share the sad story of his family.

"So your mum is my General Leia?" 

He nodded carefully, as if he expected her to fight and claw and rip at him. 

"Hmm. That's really surprising." 

"That's…" he blinked up at her, "that's all you have to say, that it’s surprising?" 

Her eyes searched over his face, noting the beauty marks that scattered his skin and made her want to connect the dots with her lips and tongue, until she bopped him on the nose with a smile. "I'd be mad if we were years into a relationship and you just told me, but this is still so new. If you can get over the fact that I dated Poe then I can deal with not immediately being informed about your family." 

"You give and you take," Ben murmured as his hands dipped under the hem of the shirt and tracked light touches up to her hips. 

"Mhm, but you keep that sheet between us until I'm ready to take again." Her megawatt smile always seemed to hit him hard, stirring up the butterflies in his stomach. Was it possible to be so gone over a woman he met barely more than twenty-four hours ago? 

It felt like the world around them slowed to a speed that made every moment last twice as long and they both enjoyed the solitude more than they could vocalize. 

"Mine is a long story, like one of those films that has too many twists and turns." She had his full attention until his phone started to buzz and spin with vibrations on his side table. "Aren't you going to get that?" 

From his position in the middle of the bed, leaned up against the wooden headboard, he knew who was calling. "No one calls me at home save for my boss and I really—I worry he knows about you." 

She nodded though she couldn't claim to know that feeling, everyone in her life made her happy in one way or another, directly or tangentially. "You'd keep me safe, I know it," she sighed, snuggling up to his chest where she fit in perfectly. 

Life was looking up for her now. The upswing began when she joined the Resistance Army, but beyond that it was small hikes and dips in her timeline until yesterday and every single moment of happiness with him was her rebirth as a butterfly, no longer hampered by the limitations of a human existence. 

The cellphone danced one more time before he gave up on ignoring it, knowing he would fret and worry until he saw what was there.

> **FO Snoke**  
>  Be at my office first thing tomorrow. 

" _Fuck._ "

Rey didn't even lift her head from the comfortable muscles of his chest before she wrapped him up in her arms. "Hush. None of that," and she pushed his phone out of his hands and onto the hardwood beneath where it clattered below. 

His laughter wasn't what she expected, but it made her smile all the same, "Who knew Kylo Ren's laughter sounds like the songs of angels." 

____________

Walking into Snoke's office the next morning, Ben felt tension and stress roll off him in waves, as much as he tried to keep it under wraps. 

The atmosphere in the building was never good; it wouldn't surprise him if the entire office staff ran screaming from the building at the end of every single day. He tried his best to clear his mind, think of anything but Rey, and give nothing away. 

The phone at the assistant's desk buzzed and a second later he was told to go in. 

"Kylo, come in, we have much to talk about." Snoke's pale visage appeared happier than he'd ever seen it before and that truly terrified him more than anything. 

"I think it's time we utilize your skills elsewhere, my boy."

He didn't know where this was going, but it was an unexpected turn. "Sir?"

Snoke regarded him from his perch, fingers steepled against his lips, and he remained silent far longer than was comfortable. 

"As we previously discussed, you've done the best you can with getting the shopping center in order. I need my apprentice to get that same work done on the outskirts. Surely," he paused for full effect, "you will find no distractions there." 

A cold sense of dread settled in his stomach, creating a turbulent atmosphere that made him glad he skipped breakfast, and he stood up straighter. "I'm not sure what you mean by distractions, sir." 

"A certain girl? Tall, thin, some _might_ claim that she's pretty, a member of that group run by your mother." 

"Ah," he said in a half-hearted attempt to appear nonchalant, but knew it wasn't going to work the second the sound left his mouth. 

__________

Rey returned to base the next morning, far ahead of her planned schedule, and every person she passed looked at her with a question in their eyes when she appeared alone. 

"He'll be here when he's free," became her mantra, an automatic response that flitted out of her mouth without any thought. 

The moment she stepped foot in the barracks, barely long enough to take two full breaths, Rose, Kaydel, and the other women descended on her like a pack of wolves. 

"Rey! Oh my god, I am _so_ happy to see you." 

And at that, the vultures charged. Rey would never willingly show her fleshy underbelly to all the predators there, but there was only so much deflecting a person could do before the bait and switch became readily apparent. 

"We tried to find pictures of your guy, but there's barely enough online about him to do a Google search," Kaydel whispered conspiratorially to the rest of them. 

Oh, right. She'd forgotten that everyone here was talking about them while she laid in bed with Ben. "It's a nickname, but— don't worry, he'll be here as soon as he can and I can assure you, you will have _so_ many questions." 

They all knew more than she knew about the sequence of events, but any questions she had about that were quashed once Finn ran into her, literally. 

"Someone got the entire thing on video and wow, you should see your face. Oh, right, you can!" And without her asking, he brought up the video on his phone while everyone crowded around to watch again.

Whoever it was that taped this encounter had offered their own very illustrative commentary which included comments about her ass and legs as well as a few very rude statements about Ben. 

"You may want to tell whoever filmed that to make sure they never come across either of us in a dark alley." 

Finn's grin grew as he spotted the discolored skin on her shoulder and neck. "I don't think you want anyone to see those." Her hand clamped down on the area, shielding the sight from anyone else. 

"Uh— excuse me for one minute, please." 

It took less than a minute to find and put on a long sleeve shirt stashed away in her bunk, but quickly the phone on the far wall started ringing, announcing someone unaccompanied at the base entrance. Try as she might, running from the other side of the large room didn't get her there fast enough and one of the younger female soldiers picked it up first. Eyes turned immediately to Rey, first one pair and then more, and she left without needing to be told who was calling and what about. 

Each and every person she passed on her way to the gate followed her progress along the way. A few of the people she worked with often enough waved and greeted her warmly, but most were pleased to simply get their eyes on her after the rumors circulating around about her, Poe, and some other man.

Snap Wexley stood at his station, eyeing Ben while he glowered at everything around him, and Rey was thankful for small gifts. She knew Snap would run right off and warn Poe, but it was better than running into him immediately. 

"Snap, sign him in under me. Thanks." 

The Resistance member murmured something that she couldn't quite catch, but the look that came over Ben's face told her that he heard every word. "Say that again." 

"No need." She yanked his large body away from the gate station and into a little alcove just beyond it. "Ben," his eyes lit up as his hands were on her again, "I don't care what he said. Really I don't. So no fights while you're on base, okay? If you get overwhelmed just think about how laid you're going to get when we get back to your townhouse if you behave." 

He groaned in response and kissed her quickly, a kiss that left her lips bruised and her heart beating much too fast. "That wasn't fair," she remarked, pushing his hair away from his face. 

"Then we're even." He kissed her again, but a chaste press of lips instead to avoid a response from her. "So where first, my mother?" 

"I think it's very likely she'd kill both of us if we didn't visit her first." He nodded his agreement and laced their hands together, following after her toward their impending doom. 

His mother was... something different to each person who knew her. While she surely supported Rey at this point in her life, that wasn't the woman he grew up with. Hell, he had more active parenting from their butler, Cee Pio, than either of his parents. And for that reason, he wasn't hopeful about seeing his mother again, though he did it for his girl. For Rey. 

It seemed that both he and his mother picked up the script needed to play their parts. Rarely were they on the same page except for now and he could see how adored Rey was by everyone around. 

Soldiers waved to them as they crossed the yard, headed for the one small building that couldn't contain more than a few rooms, small ones at that. 

Others smiled and whispered to their companions when they caught sight of the soulmates. This was what he had to get used to, their new normal. Soul marked may as well have been written across their foreheads in bright, bold letters. 

"No other news could make me happier," his mother had said when they both stood before her. "You found a family here and you've rebuilt my own. Thank you, dear." 

Everything else fell away then and he could barely breathe, let alone think and speak clearly. He was thankful that neither woman seemed to require his participation in their conversations and the cold sweat of his panic dried when they stepped back outside. 

"Meet my friends?" It wasn't an expectation, but he'd do anything to make her smile for even a millisecond. 

He wasn't prepared for what met him when they breeched the threshold of the building where clearly everyone, save for his mother and the officers, lived. 

It shocked him how much they did with so little; members of the First Order complained if they had to share a bathroom or shower whereas everything was communal to the Resistance. 

Everyone descended at once, from all corners, and the frenzy would've surely overwhelmed him had Rey's hand not snagged his wrist before anyone pressed in too closely. 

" _Oh, Rey_ ," a blonde woman around her age said as her eyes scanned over him. 

A dark haired Asian woman instead cupped her hands around Rey's ear to whisper her remarks directly to her friend. 

Now he knew what the animals in a zoo felt like on a daily basis. Being the child of his parents, the nephew of his uncle, the grandson of his maternal grandmother and grandfather made this a normal occurrence even if he did his best to shrug it all off. 

The man who he immediately realized was Finn gave the same cursory glances without a smile at the end. "You're Ben then?" He nodded in response while Rey was still distracted. "I don't know you though I've heard things, not nice things I can assure you, but I'll give you a chance for Rey. Hear me now: this is the only chance you'll get. Hurt her and no one will find your body." 

_______

Returning to his townhouse, this time with a packed bag of clothes and other necessities, Rey took it in as if it was her new home and in many ways, it would be. 

The two of them had decisions to make— large, life changing decisions that ultimately meant an end of career for one or both of them.

She imagined that one day they'd own a sprawling house with multiple floors and as many balconies as possible. One of the balconies would be used just for meals during either sunrise or sunset. There'd also be a large pool with a jacuzzi ensconced to one side where they'd spend time together, but Ben would swim laps every morning to keep that beautiful body in top shape. 

"What are you thinking about?" 

She hadn't heard him draw up on her, his hands now empty of things that he was carrying, and she blushed just a little at where her mind had been. "The future and what it might look like." 

His nod was his only answer as he drew her over to the couch, sitting first to scoop her easily into his lap, "I don't care what it looks like as long as it includes both of us." 

" _Ben_."

He had no response except to kiss her. 

Ages could've passed before she knew it, the passage of time, beyond each breath they expelled. 

"I thought I was incomplete or torn apart by the horrible things I'd done," he trailed off for a second. "But where once my soul was broken, ragged, torn— now there's an actual end point and that's you." 

With more clarity than she truly possessed in that moment, she climbed off him and dragged him down to his bedroom. Their bedroom? Yes. 

She rid herself of her shirt and leggings before she climbed up and kneeled on the massive bed. "Come here, baby. Let me have you." 

No verbal response was necessary, his own clothes flew this way and that through the air until finally, _finally_ , he was nude and staring at her with anticipation. 

"Ben, I need you." 

Any shred of resolve he had left disappeared at the neediness in her voice, the edge of emotion that told him she was close to tears if he didn't touch her. From her perch they were at the same height and he took advantage of it, leaning across the abyss to draw her into his arms. "Make love to me." She hadn't needed to ask, really, he'd always say yes to her. 

He crawled over her as she fell onto the mattress, her body bouncing lightly with the firm support, and he only hesitated a moment. 

"Please," she begged, allowing her legs to splay open in an indecent attempt to get him moving where she needed him most. 

"Be patient." 

A huff this time. "You try being patient after the day I had. I know it was rough for you too..." Her voice faded out as her index finger skimmed down his chest until her hand wrapped around his turgid length, stroking a few times before he batted her away. 

"Tell me you want me."

"You know I do, so let me _show_ you." His hips flexed and brushed against hers in response. 

With his erection in hand, Ben rubbed the head along her wet lips. "I love this pretty pink pussy, this beautiful cunt that's all mine." Rey moaned in response and felt herself grow even wetter. Somehow he knew, intrinsically, what she needed. Always. 

The angle of her hips was just enough for him to press in and bottom out in one forceful thrust, earning hisses and moans from the both of them. 

"Fuck, you're enormous." 

Any other man would've grinned smugly at the praise, but Ben's body stopped still, concern painted over his features. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, don't stop. I— I love how big you are, how full you make me feel. It's better than anything I've ever experienced." 

He smashed his lips to hers in a fevered rush, the strength of his thrusts slamming the bed to the wall rhythmically, and she swiveled her hips, looking for his attention on that spot that tore her apart within a few touches. 

"Right there, Ben, please." 

"Please?" She groaned and pressed her heels to his ass, but still he kept up the same lazy pace. When he risked a glance at her face, the lack of excitement was what acted as a slap to the face. 

She was constantly concerned with his ability to read her mind or perhaps it was just the uncanny way that he could read her face and body for the truth, but either way, the movement of his hips sped up as her moans grew in volume. 

"This what you want, baby? You want me to destroy this amazing pussy?" 

The only response she could give was a moan deep into his neck as her nails raked up his back, leaving trails of angry skin in their wake. 

"More, Ben, just like that." Rey knew so many men who cared only for their own pleasure, but her soulmate was the opposite of what everyone tried to say he was. Even comparing Poe and Ben, though she'd never admit to actually doing it, put them both on different ends of the spectrum.

Her own breath started to come in faster pants, her lungs burning from the shared exertion as they raced to completion, and his thumb dropped to her clit without being told to explicitly do so. "Rey... need to feel you come, need you to come on my cock." 

She nodded in response and reached to play with the nipple of her left breast, rolling the hard peek between her fingers in a rush to break. " _Fuck_ ," Ben growled and the tempo in his hips sped as their combined climaxes hit them head on. 

Whether one set off the other or both were able to crest at the same time separately she did not know, but it intensified every feeling in her body including the warm that seeped inside her as he continued to fill her with his seed. 

It felt right, this connection with him, and she knew deeply, in this exact moment, that she'd say yes to whatever came their way. His weight settled over her and she wrapped him up in her arms and legs to keep him. 

"Stay," she whispered into his hair as his lips moved along her collarbone. 

"I'm not going anywhere." And never before had so few words had her soaring in the clouds.

Their next venture outside would bring new problems as well as new adventures, it could be as easy as packing up their lives to move somewhere neither the Resistance army nor the First Order would find them, or it could bring reckless disaster upon their backs. 

Wherever they went, however long it took, they’d remake their lives, find themselves spun together until the two of them were so tightly connected no one could parse out a single thread to pull, and start fresh. 

If they needed one thing, it was a new beginning. All the money he’d saved over the years, he could give her that one priceless gift.


End file.
